A Jump in Time
by Regin Ash
Summary: In a stunning twist someone returns from the dead, angry and vengeful. Holly must find a way to reach 'them' before that person kills their enemy in revenge. Rated T for just in case.
1. Chapter 1

_ Had her ribcage busted yet? Her heart sure seemed like it had hammered enough to do so. In front of Captain Holly Short, Commander Julius Root of the LEP or Lower Elements Police, was surveying her calmly in spite of the dire situation. Strapped to his chest was a octo-bond cable with a box attached to it, a device used to often traffic the more hostile criminals. And on that box was a plasma screen broadcasting a person's face she had learned to hate. _

_ Mere seconds remained before the box supposedly exploded. But the person on the screen, the pixie psycho genius Opal Koboi, had said she could deactivate the bomb if she, Holly, would hit the charger on the box. So she did the only thing she thought would save Julius Root. She pointed her Neutrino at her commander, trained her keen sight on the little red button and squeezed the trigger..._

_ Incomprehensibly, everything sped up until the sound and shock wave of the blast shook Holly to her very core. Julius was gone-_


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few years since then, I had to remind myself often. I had too many nightmares like that one. It was early in the morning, I didn't even bother getting up, resolving to slap my alarm off when it began obnoxiously blaring.

I laid in bed for a while, wondering how long I could get away with not moving before my communicator would beep for me. Trouble Kelp could certainly be a slave driver sometimes, but he was good at his job. It was like he was made, no born to be a commander. Not wanting to wait for that moment, I got up.

Within the hour I was up, sliding my helmet over my head and gliding out the door.

**Dublin Ireland**

Bulter was getting an unnatural urge to strangle his young charge. "Artemis, I thought you said your schemes were over."

Next to him, Artemis was staring at his laptop. "I said I would _attempt_ to go straight."

Butler rolled his eyes. "Same difference."

"According to my calculations, there's some unsettled particles in the air," Artemis shifted his weight.

"Hmm," Butler tried to look interested. "Maybe a storm?"

The teenager ignored his comment. "It seems like there is a bend in time. But why?"

Butler looked out over the small meadow they were standing in, it seemed like it was one of the last open fields that was quickly being swallowed up by Dublin's closing jaws of metal and concrete.

"I can't explain this," Artemis blurted frustrated. "It's occurring right now...underground it appears."

Butler smiled gently. "Sometimes you can't explain things Artemis."

"But I need to," the boy retorted desperately. "I'm Artemis Fowl the second. I'm supposed to always explain the impossible."

_Yes, that you are, _Butler thought to himself amused.

**Haven Recycler**

Corporeal Grub Kelp couldn't have been more bored with his job. His brother had sent him a memo to go and check out a possible embezzlement plot within the city's largest recycler. And from what he could see, there was no embezzlement scheme. _I should have told Troub to go stuff himself._

The owner, a stooped gnome was giving him a grand tour of the facility. "Ah and this, this is the recycler itself." The gnome threw his arms wide dramatically in front of the plexiglass window.

Grub humored the gnome and studied the machine. It was impressive, bigger than any People-made phenomenon he had ever seen. Just as he opened his mouth to suggest they move and he return the the police plaza so he could throttle Trouble, a glimmer of light began to shine from the left side of the machine.

"That happen often?" he asked, pointing.

The gnome peered at what he was pointing out; Grub watched him pull his glasses off, clean them on his jumpsuit and then return them to his crooked nose. "No, as a matter of fact, it doesn't."

**Same time: within Haven Recycler machine**

_Everything tingled. Stretching and pulling, pushing...everything was blurry. Darkness and light, confused and hurting. Want to stop, want to sleep. _

_The floor became hard under his fingers as he felt his body solidify. He sucked in a breath painfully, the air was dusty and grimy. He coughed and then forced his eyes open long enough to look around. He didn't know where he was or even who he was. He rocked back onto his butt, and leaned against the cold machine, the coolness feeling good against his skin. _

…...

Grub blinked once and then twice, his equipment was malfunctioning, it had to be. That was it, his helmet was broken or something. Then he remembered he wasn't wearing his helmet, his _helmet _was under his arm. The figure was becoming rapidly solid, he couldn't make out just yet what or who it was.

The gnome next to him had his mouth hanging open and every once in a while would make an unintelligent sound.

Grub found himself without answers, all he could do was stand there and watch. Then in a heartbeat the figure was solid and Grub saw Julius Root. _Not possible._

The elf beyond the glass had changed from the last time Grub had seen him. _Well duh_. Julius was skinnier like the life had been sucked out of him, and he looked sick, no tired, extremely tired. _This is impossible._

Then Grub woke up, he had to seal off Haven Recycler, that's what Trouble would have done. This was a matter for the LEP. He strapped on his helmet and opened a communication wave to his brother.

"Yeah," Trouble sounded busy. Grub resisted the urge to snip back at him. Trouble only ever answered _his _calls like that. No one else got the greeting, yeah.

"We have a problem, Troubs... I mean Commander Kelp."

"What kind of problem?"

Grub watched the ex-commander through the glass all of about collapse against the machine. "I think you better come here and see for yourself."


	3. Chapter 3

I was trudging through a mound of files on my desk. I wasn't in the mood for anything, normally I wasn't so emotional but every girl could have her day and today was mine. A window popped open on my computer, Trouble Kelp's face filled the screen.

"Holly, Grub contacted me. He says something's happened at Haven Recycler."

"What?"

"I don't know. He said I should come and see myself. I want you to come with me."

"If Grub is pulling our legs-"

Trouble cut me off. "I don't think he is this time." Grub had a habit of pulling practical jokes on LEP officers when _time got too boring_.

"I'll be there." I grabbed my helmet and Neutrino.

**Haven Recycler**

It seemed all of the LEP was at the Recycler plant, but it was just my imagination. I found Trouble just outside of the viewing booth, the same room officials had stood in to watch Julius Root's recycling ceremony, his face was white. As I drew nearer, elves, people I had known or heard of in the LEP parted to let me walk without a crowd to contend with. I didn't understand, what was going on?

I reached Trouble, "what's up?"

He looked into my eyes and then shifted his position to give me a clear view into the room. There were two warlocks on either side of a hunched creature covered by a blanket. One of the warlocks glanced at Trouble, shared a nod of the head and then pulled the blanket back from the being's face.

At first it didn't register, I didn't recognize the elf. Then the familiar jaw line and then the eyes brought the truth crashing down on me. "Julius?" I started forward and was quickly grabbed by Trouble.

"Holly-"

"Trouble let me go," I tried to shake him off.

"He's not the same...wait," I took his warning into consideration. I returned my attention to Julius, I saw with a second look, there was no life behind those eyes.

A clopping of hoofs told me Foaly had arrived. "How did this happen?" His voice was hard with anger. "We don't tamper with fate and life."

Trouble could only shake his head as he still held me. I rounded on Foaly. "How did this happen? He's alive Foaly, this is-" I couldn't find a word to describe what this situation was.

"To what cost Holly?" Foaly's voice softened.

He was right. We were interrupted by the warlocks, "We're gonna take him to the Hosp-"

"No, I want him taken to the infirmary of LEP," Trouble cut off the warlock.

"But-"

"I don't want Haven notified of this yet. We need to keep this quiet." His face grew pained for a moment as he observed Julius and then he hid his feelings, his expression hardening. "Infirmary of the LEP now."

**LEP**

I watched without a feeling as Julius laid unmoving on a bed in a private room of the infirmary. He had so many tubes attached to him and I briefly thought of how he didn't react at all to the needles as they were pushed under his skin.

The LEP was in a uproar of this, never had an elf just popped out of thin air, back from the dead. We never knew anything like this could happen even with all the time travel I had put myself through for the sake of Artemis Fowl, never had I expected this could occur.

There was a minor scuffle down the hall as Commander Vinyáyá forced her way past a couple of orderlies. "Holly, is it true? Is-?" Her question died in her throat as she saw for herself that the rumors were true.

"It's true," I confirmed quietly.

"My god." She stared wide-eyed through the glass. "Can we-?"

I shook my head, "they've quarantined him incase he has something."

Abruptly she became angry, "like what? They're treating him like he's contagious with some deadly disease."

I shrugged.

Through the glass, Julius twitched in his sleep.

"I can't believe it." She shook her head. "I just can't believe it."

I couldn't either. I had spent so many days, so many nights wondering, replaying the scene of him dying in my head. Could anything that I had in my power have changed the events that unfolded years ago?

"Well there's no sense in hanging here," Commander Vinyáyá sighed and faced me. "Come Holly."

I had turned to follow her when the shit hit the fan.

**Lower Elements: Police Plaza-Upstairs**

"This is preposterous," Chairman Cahartez scoffed. "It has to be a hoax."

"A hoax?" Trouble was ready for that argument. "Corporeal Kelp watched him pop out of thin air like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Corporeal Kelp is your brother and frankly isn't reliable to report a dwarf farting wrong," Cahartez shouted to be heard over Trouble.

Trouble opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped from doing so by Foaly who merely shook his head.

Cahartez held a triumphant grin on his face, a smile Trouble wanted to wipe off. _I can't. I'm Commander Trouble Kelp, I need to keep my cool. _

Suddenly his helmet began beeping incessantly. He slid it over his head and opened the communication. "Holly what's wrong?"

He listened and felt a jolt of adrenaline shoot through him. He hadn't felt so cold since the goblin uprise.

**LEP**

Julius watched us wildly as he held the female orderlie in a tight head-lock. "Julius let her go." Commander Vinyáyá was trying to get through to him and wasn't succeeding.

"Where am I?" His Gnommish was garbled. I noted several unrelated words were mixed into what he was trying to say before he managed to spit it out.

"You're with the LEP," Vinyáyá explained patiently. "You're among friends Julius, please just let her go."

I moved forward and received a mistrustful glare from him. My heart sank, here was a fairy who had been like a father to me, a close friend and it had come down to this.

"Do you understand what LEP is?" Commander Vinyáyá asked.

"I'm not stupid," he snarled.

"I know," she agreed quickly. "You're not." She was trying to snow him and it wasn't working. At that moment Trouble arrived with reenforcement.

"Julius let the girl go," he ordered.

We were all taken back as Julius dropped the F-bomb on us in a number of impressively spoken sentences. The old Julius Root had always been known to not have the cleanest vocabulary, but he was never as bad as this.

By now the girl was crying. We had to treat this as a hostage situation.

"I want to know what the hell happened to me!" He yelled. "What did you do to me!"

"Julius we didn't do anything. Let the girl go please." Trouble was as shaken as me.

I glanced at him and saw him give one of his men a nod. I half turned to see Lieutenant Timberr's finger tighten on a tranquilizer gun. Slowly the gnome moved through the small crowd to get a clear shot at Julius. I wanted to stop it but it was the only way, even I knew that.

Commander Vinyáyá was frozen, her face tight and stressed. She noticed Lieutenant Timberr and his gun, she started to say something but was too late as Timberr in a blur aimed and fired.


	4. Chapter 4

The hypothermic dart hit Julius in the shoulder. He stumbled backwards, the sudden shock making him loosen his hold on the orderlie who wisely fled. He focused on us and then more specifically me. Within seconds he was on the floor, his eyes sliding shut.

"Cuff him to the bed, no one and I mean No One is to release him. I don't care if he swears at you, tries to be your best friend, I don't care." Trouble let the doctor through.

I heard a sniff, Vinyáyá left the room before any of us could say anything. I got Trouble's attention. "I'm going above ground. There's someone I need to see."

**Dublin Ireland**

Artemis never sulked, a genius just didn't stoop that low. But on the car ride home, he didn't touch his laptop, didn't consult with his top-of-the line cellphone; instead he did something he rarely had time for. And that was staring out the window of the family Bentley car.

They paused at a corner, "Butler?"

"Yes Artemis?"

"When did the building of Oleander Garden get leased?"

"A year ago Artemis, I pointed it out to you a year ago."

Artemis frowned, he didn't remember any conversation about the company going under. "Right, of course, slipped my mind."

No conversation ensued after that, Artemis gathered his briefcase as Butler pulled through the iron wrought gates of the Fowl Manor.

As he got out of the car he felt a presence, he smiled. Holly was here. His suspicions were confirmed when I materialized in front of him. I knew my expression wasn't a welcoming one.

"Holly," he greeted, choosing to ignore my blank face.

"Artemis," I emphasized the 's' in his name a little too long so it sounded like I was hissing. _Good._

"Please," he gestured to his front door. "My parents and brothers are away at a spa in Switzerland."

I stepped forward half a step, "I'm not here on a social call."

Butler had remained quiet through the whole exchange. He wasn't what one would call a family man, someone who could settle down and marry a woman; but he knew when a woman was in distress and Holly was pinging his radar.

"What's happened Holly?" he asked.

I all of about glared at Artemis, "I was hoping Artemis Fowl could tell me."

Artemis smiled, sardonically. _Ooo, how I could punch him out...I've done it before and I was in the right mood to do it again. _"I don't know what you mean."

I'll tell you what I mean," I snapped. "Julius Root popped out of thin air today, that's what I mean. Thin Air Artemis, tell me how does that occur? Time travelling lately? You've messed with all of Foaly's bugs so it's not like it's a walk in the park to track you anymore."

Artemis looked taken back. "J-Julius Root? He's alive? Holly that's great."

"Sure, it's great when he took a hostage and proceeded to rip us up one end and down the other." I snipped. "He's pissed, he doesn't have a clue what happened and neither do we."

"So, you naturally thought I had something to do with it." His question brought me up short. He really didn't know about any of what happened before I berated him.

All my frustration came down to me having a elf-sized temper tantrum. I kicked a stick hard and watched as it sailed a good ten feet away. A long string of every gnommish swear I could think of came out of my mouth. I began pacing in front of Artemis, watching him as I went.

"You're upset," he said placidly. "I under-"

"Do yourself a favor Artemis and shut up," I growled. "don't talk to me like I'm two. I've lived a lot longer than you."

Butler put a hand on the Mud Boy's shoulder. _At least Butler was smart, he knows when to keep his __mouth shut._ "Can we see him?"

"What do you mean? Go to Haven?"

Butler nodded. "Maybe seeing a variety of his-" he stumbled a little on his words. "-_comrades _might calm him."

"I don't know, Julius was the one that always gave the green light on you two coming to Haven but now it's Trouble and he hasn't forgotten about the first meeting you two had."

Butler grimaced, long ago he had taken on the LEPretrieval Team headed by Trouble Kelp when he was a captain. It hadn't ended well for the LEPretrieval. "Try Holly."

I should have said no, screw them, I owed them nothing. But a small part of me made me don my helmet and open a communication wave to Commander Kelp's helmet.

**LEP**

_He woke up, feeling heavy. His eyes travelled around the room, picking out the annoying machine that beeped loudly every few seconds and the tube that wound away from it and into his arm. He tried to sit up but found his movements restricted. He was cuffed to the bed. A un-contained fury rose within him. How dare they. He tried to pull his hand out but it was too tight. _

"_Julius?"_

_He turned to glare a female elf with short styled silver hair. Vinyáyá_. _ She drifted nearer. "What the F*** do you want?"_

_She flinched at the volatile question. "I wanted to see how you were. I was concerned."_

_He scoffed, "you were concerned about me? What a load of shit." _

"_J-"_

"_No," he snarled. I didn't die right away, you see first it was the box exploding and then the flames burning me from the outside in, I didn't stop feeling anything until I went poof." _

_She was crying. "You don't know how devastated we all were. Holly was-a mess Julius-a mess. The Internal Affairs they tracked her down like a criminal because they were so sure she killed you._

"_And Trouble, he almost turned down his promotion to be Commander because of you. He felt like he was intruding on your memory. It hasn't been a picnic at all," her voice hardened. _

_He didn't appear like he was listening. "Where's Opal?"_

"_Howler's Peak where she'll be until the day she dies. Her conviction was a high profile case because she's the first female pixie to be sentenced to the facility." _

"_Yeah, that day's coming closer," he murmured._

"_What?" she gasped. _

"_Nothing."_

"_No, what did you say?" _

_He looked at her directly in the eyes, "That. Day. ."_

**E7 **

I strapped myself into the shuttle cockpit as Artemis and Butler tried to make do in the small space. Truth to be told, I didn't care. I was still fuming at everything. "Eh Holly," Artemis was at my ear. "I'm just going to sit up front with you. It'll give Butler more space."

I didn't answer which he took as a yes.

He sat down in the co-pilot seat. "Buckled?"I asked without feeling in my voice.

"I am," Butler answered.

"Um, just a minute," Artemis began, "it's been a-"

"Good," I threw the throttle as far forward as it go and released the brakes and flaps before Artemis was done with his restraints. The shuttle dropped into the chute at a rate of 250 miles per hour. I heard Artemis squeak, something he had never done with all the flying he had experience with me. But I knew I was going a little over board. It was risky flying this fast, but I felt that at that moment it was appropriate to try and break my last record of reaching Haven from the surface.

"Whadd'ya say Artemis?" I asked amused at his wide eyes and the silent 'o' shape of his mouth. "Think we can get there in 3 hours and a half?"

**Shuttle dock**

Trouble paced on the edge of the dock, knowing fully well the hazard in doing that. Any second a rogue magma flare could fly out of the chute and hit him, and he'd be a goner.

"Really Troubs," Grub drawled. "No one makes it in three hours from the surface to here."

"First off, It's not Troubs and second of all, you didn't go to school with Holly." He pulled his helmet off and massaged his pointed ears. "I want to be here so when she's here in an hour, we'll be ready to go. And I know no one can make it here in three hours."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the alarm began to sound, telling them a shuttle was approaching. "That's impossible."

Sure enough a transport shuttle shot around the bend and screamed past him, coming to a rest two-hundred klicks ahead of him.

The side door opened and granted two humans means to leave. The child was green, and sucking in deep breaths; while the adult pulled himself together a little faster.

Trouble grinned as Holly jumped out. She gave the shuttle a pat. "Thank you for flying Air1975, we hoped you enjoyed your flight and will return soon."

The Mud Boy gave her an incredulous look.

"Three hours?" Trouble whispered to her as she passed. "How fast were you going?"

"My secret," she said with a smile.

"The Mud Boy looks a little green."

She turned to see Artemis in time to puke over the dock's edge. "He'll be okay."

**LEP infirmary**

Julius watched for the fourth time as a old gnome stuffed a checker piece into his mouth and the nurse with him cooed, "no, no, no...you don't eat that."

_Is this what I've been demoted to? Sitting with a bunch of old fogies who eat checker chips?_He had to get out of this place, it was driving him insane.

His wheelchair was suddenly pulled backwards. He grabbed the hands that were holding the grips and twisted. A cry of pain behind him gave him instant satisfaction. "Let go," he enunciated clearly so there was no mistake in what he was saying.

Once he was sure the orderlie let go, he shoved the elf back, away from him. "Commander K-Kelp would like to see you," the elf stuttered.

"Tell _Commander Kelp_ to go shove it," he snapped.

"Tell me yourself," a different voice replied. Trouble sat down next to hm.

Julius moved his body away, if this kid was as smart as he had left him then the elf would know he wanted to be alone.

"Julius?"

No answer.

"I can't imagine how you feel right now. You're confused and angry, we understand but you have to know we want to help you, that all. We don't want you to feel like we're enemies, because we're not."

Julius switched his attention to the checker eating gnome again.

"We want to help you," Trouble repeated. He then did a bold move and placed his hand on top of the ex-commander's. Julius reacted like he had been shocked and ripped his hand away from the touch. Before even he knew it, he had Trouble by the neck and Trouble wasn't stopping him.

"Don't you ever touch me again."

"Julius let me go."

"Shut up," Julius snarled. "And don't call me Julius."

Trouble almost smiled, but caught himself at the last moment. He wasn't fast enough to hide it though.

"Are you laughing at me? Do you think this is funny? Because I don't."

"No, it's not. It's just you said don't call me Julius and it was almost having the old you back."

A look of uneasiness flashed across the older elf's face.

"It's a good thing Ju-Comman..." Trouble trailed off, not knowing how to address the irate elf. "Can you let go me? Please."

Julius released him, his hands shaking. "What's wrong with me?" All anger dissipated from his face.

"Nothing," Trouble lied. "Nothing's wrong with you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Conference Room 1001**

"No one will bug us in here," I said as I led Butler and Artemis to one of our conference areas.

"Why's that?" Artemis asked.

Grub, who I rolled my eyes at having to accompany us, took a sign off of a shelf near the door and hung it on the doorknob. One the sign was a bad impersonation of what someone thought humans were. It consisted of two hairy humans knocking each other on the heads with stone clubs.

"Nice picture,"Artemis congratulated awkwardly.

Grub didn't answer, he had been less than pleased with having to stand in the same room as Butler. It was his misfortune to having been on the same LEPretrieval team as Trouble when they all met Butler. As we were passing the cubicles I overheard the latest poll travelling around the office. _How long before Grub wet his pants with the mountain of a Mud Man in the same room as him._

Foaly clopped in behind us with Chairman Cahartez behind him and a slew of others. They all took their seats around the table that faced a large projector screen. Trouble was last to enter, he noticed me and gave me a small smile.

Foaly pointed a remote at the projector and quickly flipped through several files. A camera feed appeared on screen, I realized with a jolt it was my camera feed from my late helmet on the day Julius died.

"Are you going to sit?" Cahartez addressed Artemis. It was apparent Butler would only end up on his ass if he tried sitting in one of our chairs.

"Thank you," Artemis sat next to me.

Foaly cleared his throat, "So," he played the video. "This is from Holly's helmet obviously." The video was painful to watch, especially for me since I knew exactly was said, word for word. Next to me, Artemis took my hand which I hadn't noticed was gripping the chair armrest.

Then my footage was blinded as Julius was engulfed in flames. Here Foaly slowed the video down, so frame by frame was slow enough for us to see.

Foaly tossed the remote onto the table, frustrated. "I can't see it," he said as the frame was paused. "I've gone back and reviewed each frame to see if there was something we missed. I can't find anything, nothing to explain how or why he's back."

"Maybe there is nothing to explain," Artemis offered softly. "He's back, maybe that's it and you all should make the most of it."

Foaly shook his head, "it's not that simple. And how can you, Artemis Fowl, accept an explanation like that."

Artemis shrugged. "I was above ground calculating a time change when he materialized here in Haven."

Cahartez blew out a long breath. "Okay, Julius Root is alive and well. Now what?"

Trouble shot Cahartez a glare. "Shouldn't we be asking you that?"

There was a commotion outside the door. Commander Vinyáyá entered the room, nearly running into Trouble on her way in. "Oh, Trouble, sorry." She turned to us. "I think we have a problem."

…...

"I'm sure it's nothing," Cahartez brushed it off immediately.

"Nothing?" Vinyáyá repeated incredulous. "He asked about Opal. He has the means and the drive to go after her."

"Ridiculous," Cahartez argued. "He wouldn't."

"We are not talking about the Julius Root who left this world almost four years ago." Her voice rose higher. "We're talking about someone who is unpredictable, a stranger to us. He's like-like-" She couldn't finish. We'll be sorry if anything happens and we had the power to stop it."

"Where is he now?" Artemis asked, his fingers steepled.

"LEP infirmary," Trouble answered. "Why?"

"I'd like to see him."

**LEP infirmary**

Trying to sleep was like trying to squeeze a square shaped peg into a circle. Julius found himself quickly going from the calm state he had experienced while being with Trouble to the constant angry feeling.

The other patients were too loud.

Julius tossed onto his back, staring at the ceiling. Just he started to drift off, he was awoken to the sound of his door lock being unlocked. He sat up, his eyes on the door

"Julius Root, are you dressed?"

He didn't answer so the elf opened the door wider and stepped into the room cautiously. Julius hadn't taken his sight off the open door, now unmanned.

"Chairman Cahartez would like to see you in the Conference room 1001," the elf was babbling. He knew it and shut up. "Eh, can you-stand, please?"

Julius stood in one fluid motion, making the elf jump. He felt the orderlie's hands take his and then he made his move.

**Conference Room 1001**

It was about the time Trouble was starting to tap his foot on the floor when a alarm sounded in his helmet. He grabbed it and jerked it on his head.

A message was being repeated over and over. Infirmary patient has escaped. _Julius, _he thought in horror.

**LEP**

Julius didn't know where he was going, so he resolved to follow his instincts and his instincts kept him away from elevators. Foaly could easily stop all motion in the machines and he could be stuck between floors. Somehow he made it to the first level of the police plaza. He was going to make it. _This is too easy._

**Second Level **

When Trouble told me Julius had escaped, I left everyone and took off on my own. For a few seconds. Trouble was next to me, his running gait as strong and fast as mine, but then I pushed my legs faster and lost him around a corner and through a crowd of new interns.

_You just wait interns until you see the whacked days you'll be having. If you're smart you go for something with less stress and not have to deal with your ex boss being on a one-man mission to avenge himself. _

I ended up on the second floor loft, looking down at the first floor of LEP Police Plaza. I was about to radio in that I didn't see him when I did see him come streaking out of one of the side halls. There was no way I could get down there without missing my opportunity of getting him before he got outside. So I did the only thing I could think of; I backed up and then took a dive off the balcony.

I sailed into him, the aim of my body perfect. He crumbled underneath my weight, both of us falling to the ground. All around was a buzzing of murmurs as elves, arrested pixies and dwarves watched us.

Under me, Julius coughed. "You gave us quite a chase," I gasped, my ribs hurt. Suddenly he brought his elbow back into my collarbone; I fell off him, stunned.

He jumped to his feet and put a distance between us, I also pulled to my feet, yanking out my Neutrino as I went. "Stop!" He froze and turned to me. "Don't move." He glared at me and then backed away. "I will shoot you." I flicked my gun to a low setting so I wouldn't kill him.

"I know you'll shoot me," he finally said. "You did so four years ago."

My stomach flipped. He was trying to distract me, I had to ignore him. I heard Trouble come up behind me, He jumped the counter of the front desk and slammed his fist down on a control. _The lockdown control. _Immediately all windows in the plaza shut down with metal plates, darkening the lobby we were all in. Behind Julius the doors sealed. He knew he was caught, I could tell from his face.

"You can make this easy or hard Julius, it's your choice." Trouble called out.

Julius hit his knees where he was.

**LEPguard**

Artemis watched with a look of intrigue on his face as he studied the camera trained on Julius's solitary cell. On the screen, Julius was rocking back and forth. I sat in a chair, fuming. It hadn't been the Recon's wish to have Julius sealed away in a dark cell, but Chairman Cahartez had spun some wild story about him being dangerous to the rest of the Council. He wasn't dangerous, he was angry, hurt and confused.

"I once co-wrote a book on mental illnesses...it would appear he is depressed."

_Genius Artemis,_ I thought. "No shit," I said out loud.

He gave me an exasperated look. "He has all the signs."

I stood up, "Well I'm going to go spend some time with him."

"What?" Trouble snapped to attention. "No Holly."

"First of all, I'm smarter than that orderlie, he won't be given a chance to escape and second of all, sue me Trouble." With that I left.

**LEP infirmary: Solitary Wing**

After trying to sweet talk the orderlie on duty and finally giving up and using my LEP badge to get in; the disgruntled gnome unlocked Julius's door. "You'll be locked in," he reminded me brusquely.

"Sure," I pushed by him to get in to the cell.

The room became pitch dark as the door shut. _Depressed alright, no elf can live life in this condition. _

"Julius?" I whispered.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice soft and defeated.

I felt for the bed and sat when I found it. I heard him shift away, "I wanted to be with you. See how you are."

"How I am," he echoed. "-funny. I'm fine Captain Short."

"Holly you mean."

"_Captain Short_," he repeated. "We have nothing in common any more. I'm not your commander and you're not my officer."

"Just because you think we have nothing in common, doesn't mean you can't call me Holly, Julius."

"Don't call me Julius," his reply was barely audible. "Julius died four years ago."


	6. Chapter 6

FYI to reader: Some readers have questioned my method of changing the POV of the characters so much. They're getting confused and I understand. Just to eliminate confusion, if the POV is 1st person, it's always Holly. If it's 3rd person, then it's just like any book with 3rd person in it. Enjoy!

**Later**

_Julius died four years ago._ That rang in my head more times than I cared for. Of course that wasn't true, he was sitting in front of me when he said it; but something about his voice chilled me. I couldn't let go of it.

I took a breath and glanced at him as he slept. He was eerie when he was sleeping. Not that I ever knew how he spent his sleeping time before then, but he didn't move at all. No sound from him breathing, no jerking from a dream or REM sleep, nothing. _It's like he's dead._

That notion scared me, so bad that I actually reached out and shook him awake. "Julius wake up." To my intense relief he was instantly alert.

"What?" It didn't even faze me that his tone was a growl.

"I-" Should I say it? "You looked like you were dead."

He didn't respond.

"I'm sorry, even if you don't feel like we are friends, I want you to know I can't live through your death again Julius, it'll kill me." I purposely used his name continuously as a method to dispel his past comment. _Julius died four years ago._

"We're not friends Short-"

"But why? What changed?"

"-Because since you held me at gunpoint, because I'm stuck in this shit hole of a cell, because I'm tired, tired of everything."

I listened to his complaints and they were valid, "What if you were to come home."

"I don't have a home," his voice was barely audible again.

"-with me," I ended.

Through the dark I saw him look at me. "Why?"

"You're alive, maybe you should start acting like it."

**Conference Room 1001**

"Some people have to live through their bad experience again before they are able to cope," Artemis preached with one finger in the air. "It makes them see that they are stronger than they think they-"

I threw open the conference room door. "Cahartez, I'm taking Julius home with me."

The elf in question choked on a bowl of his famous curry dish. "E-excuse me?" He wasn't the only one to raise an eyebrow. In fact the only one at ease with my statement was Commander Vinyáyá and she wasn't afraid to say it.

"That's a great idea Holly," she smiled. I decided in a split to act like a dits. I beamed.

"Thank you Commander."

"No-No," Cahartez had found his voice. "Absolutely not."

"Why not? He's not a prisoner."

"He's...under LEP-" he stopped short of what ever he was trying to say. "Commander Kelp!" he roared, "tell her no."

Trouble looked unsure as he stared at me. I was a little unsure myself; Trouble was famous for going by the rule book. He let me do my thing only as long as it didn't interfere with the reports at the end of the year.

"Please Trouble," I implored softly. "I'll watch him, I promise."

"You can't possibly watch him 24/7," Cahartez snapped.

Trouble cleared his throat, turning his head away from me to gaze at Cahartez. That's when I knew it was a no.

"If you can guarantee he won't escape anywhere then my answer is yes."

Cahartez's mouth fell open. Then. "You and Root are the same, let her run around like the wild maverick that she is."

"She's not a maverick, she and I just have more balls then you do," Trouble snipped back. "Julius is Not a prisoner. He has as much right as the rest of us to travel around Haven freely."

"We'll have a killer on our hands, mark my words," Cahartez warned.

"Then we will have made him one by cooping him up," Trouble replied.

Artemis watched the whole exchange curiously. "And what of us?"

"The next shuttle leaves tomorrow, you'll be returned to the entrance of E7 then; for now we'll bring you to a temporary holding room."

At seeing Artemis's face, I added onto Trouble's explanation. "It's like a nice hotel room. You'll like it."

"I'm sure," he muttered.

**My house**

Julius looked around my apartment as we entered. It wasn't much, a small living room, a kitchen that when you blinked you were past it and a bedroom. The "bathroom" was down the hall; fairies considered a bathroom in their dwellings as bad luck, why? How'd I know

"You can have my bed, it's more comfortable than the couch," I flicked a few lights on.

"No, it's your room-" he tried to argue.

"Julius," I faced him, "frankly you're older than me by six hundred years-you need something that won't do you in physically."

He knew not to argue.

I took a step closer, making him look up from the floor. "If you had gotten out of LEP plaza earlier...would you have really tracked Opal down?"

He focused over my head, "You don't want that answer."

"Yes, I do."

Silence. Then.

"Yes, I would have." He sat down on the edge of the couch. "It's best that you stopped me when you did. It brought me to my senses."

"You would have regretted your actions Julius."

He scoffed, "no I wouldn't have."


	7. Chapter 7

**Howler's Peak**

"Oooh Dearrr," Opal singsonged as her latest spy bug came sputtering back to her through her cage. "Let's take a look, shall we?"

She cracked open the shell of the bug, plugging the rather dinky USB into a cunningly handmade computer. It was amazing what you could do with a few cables and one plasma tv. _Stupid guards. _The plasma tv had been easy to get, one careless move in leaving it within her reach and Opal had herself a way out.

If the LEP thought she couldn't havoc because she was locked away in Howler's Peak, they had better think again. A grainy image bloomed on screen. Hell, if she had the resources she had had when she was free, the bug wouldn't have been squished or even found for that matter.

On screen, Holly Short's door opened; granting entrance for the spiky auburn haired captain. Opal cocked her head. _Who was the elf with her?_ She didn't recognize him. And not that she cared, but he was tired-exhausted infact and he was skinny.

"_Julius," Holly faced him, "frankly you're older than me by six hundred years-you need something that won't do you in physically." _

Opal's eyes widened. _Julius. Julius Root._

"Well, well, Julius." she smiled, her teeth shiny. "How. Did. You. Come. Back. to. Life?" She pondered her question for several seconds. "I watched you die."

_This was perfect. _She didn't bother with the rest of the movie, instead she shut it off. _Julius Root back from the dead. Her life was getting better and better. _

**My house**

I wasn't good in the kitchen at all and that truth came back to bite me in the ass when I in vain, searched my cabinets for food. Julius watched me from the table. "You don't cook many meals, I take it."

I found a vegetarian platter. "Is it that obvious?"

He didn't answer.

"I live on protein shakes and nutri-bars. How 'bout you?" I turned to look at him.

He gave a half shrug. "I haven't eaten anything for four years."

"Let's change that.," I said with a smile.

…...

We ate in silence. Julius slowly forked his lettuce and chewed. I tried to ignore his blank expression and focus on something to talk about, but there was nothing. What could you say to someone who had been dead up to a day ago?

"You're stumped," he stated out of the blue.

Caught off guard, I had a brain fart on how to reply to him. "Uh-wha? S-stumped?"

"You're thinking too hard on how to talk to me. You had no trouble earlier."

"That's because I had actions to help me say things to you." I gestured at him with my fork. "You know, when I was chasing you all over LEP and when you were all doom and gloom in that cell, righfully so of course-"

"You're babbling Holly."

It took me a moment to realize he had said my first name instead of my last. He was becoming more like himself, his old self.

"Sure," I returned my attention to my food.

"I want you to know, what ever might or might not happen, is not your fault Holly," he murmured quietly.

"What do you mean? What's going to happen?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "But if anything does, it will not be your fault."

**Later**

The number one reason I had Julius sleep in my room was so he would wake me up should he try to leave. Stupid me. I didn't count on him leaving through the window.

**Morning: 0430am**

Trouble jerked awake to the sound of his helmet beeper, someone was contacting him. He cracked an eye open and moaned. _It's too early for this kind of shit to be happening to him, especially on his day off. _

He groggily felt around the obnoxious helmet and slid it halfway over his pointed ears.

"Hell-O?" his voice was clogged, but he didn't care.

"Trouble? It's Holly."

"Holly?" He sat up and rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

"Trouble, don't be mad at me, okay?"

He started paying attention. "What's happened?"

"I don't know-I can't believe he didn't break his legs..."

"Holly-what happened?"

She told him and he felt his stomach drop.

**LEP**

"I can't believe you let him waltz right out your door!" Cahartez flung the spoon he had flecked with curry around with a wave of his hand.

"My window-" I corrected.

"I don't care if it was your toilet recycler he crawled into!" he roared. "One simple, simple task Captain and you screwed it up."

I didn't try to defend myself, he was right. Julius's words came back to me. "_I want you to know, what ever might or might not happen, is not your fault Holly." _

Trouble had remained quiet through the whole exchange.

"It's not Holly's fault, when Julius gets an idea he doesn't deviate," he said.

"Or it's that she's stupid."

That stung.

"Take that back," Trouble snarled. "You will not insult my officer in front of me nor when I'm not around."

Cahartez made a 'puh' sound. "He's out there right now."

"And we'll get him back, Sir," Trouble picked up his helmet. "I promise." He took my elbow and towed me out of the room.

"Trouble I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize Holly, it's not your fault. Truth be known, I had a feeling this would happen. We know where he's going and that's all that counts."

In the thick of everything, I had forgotten about what Julius was after. Or rather who. "We have to find him soon."

"I know," he paused in the hall and then unexpectedly pulled me into a hug. I was stunned for a moment. "We'll find him."

**Howler's Peak**

Julius felt some guilt at taking Holly's binoculars and her extra gun. He'd return them as soon as he fixed some unattained business. Ahead of him was Howler's Peak, famously named so because of the high screaming winds from the rogue flares.

When he was at the LEP, he had snagged a blue print of Howler's from one of Foaly's hard copy files. According to the map, Opal was in the north section. He folded the map and pushed it into his back jean pocket.

He clicked the safety off on the gun and switched on the mounted light on its barrel. Hopefully the layout was still the same and the shifts of the guards still followed protocol. After twelve in the morning guards left and the prison was manned by computers until six am. He had plenty of time.

He holstered the gun and made his way down to the gate.


	8. Chapter 8

**OP Booth**

I tried not to listen to Trouble as he radioed to several different outposts. Even though I knew he didn't believe his own words, he painted a colorful picture of Julius.

"_Possibly armed and dangerous. Don't shoot if he's sighted. Just call me back with the location." _

Foaly was glued to his monitors, rapidly jabbing the keys on his keyboard, trying to get a location on Julius, so far he had nothing. ""I can't find him."

"Keep trying," Trouble laid the radior he hadn't let go of for two hours down. A ringing sounded from one of the many computers. Foaly whipped his head around to watch the series of Gnommish words scroll along the screen.

Trouble paused in the doorway, waiting. "What is it?"

"There's been a breach at Howler's Peak...The north section," Foaly's finger's flew across the keyboard. "Cell 10039-" He froze, "Opal's cell."

"D'arvit," Trouble swore.

**Howler's Peak**

It took no time for Julius to find the north section of the prison. Prior knowledge of the layout helped him avoid all the cameras. He reached the ninth floor and proceeded with caution, passing each cell. 10023, 10024...

As he reached cell 10030, he heard a singsonging voice. He couldn't hear it too well but with each step closer he began to make out the words. He didn't recognize the meaning of it, but it sent a chill down his spine.

"_Ring around the the rosie, pockets full of posies, ashes, ashes..." _the singing stopped abruptly as he approached cell 10039. Then it picked up again. "_ashes, ashes...LEP falls down. _Hello Julius."

**Unknown Tunnel leading to Howler's**

"Can't this piece of shit go any faster?" Trouble ignored regulations of the seatbelt when you were flying at neck breaking speeds in a shuttle. He stood, quite easily it seemed behind the pilot's chair.

"We're going as fast as we can in this tunnel, Sir. I don't feel comfortable flying any faster." The guy was a rookie, I could smell it on him, the fear.

"Holly, strap yourself in."

I couldn't argue. I changed seats with the newbie and quickly flipped some controls on and off. The co-pilot watched me, anxious.

"Hold on," I said grimly as I shoved the thrusters forward.

**Howler's Peak**

"You knew I was coming," Julius stepped forward to see into the cell.

"Oh Julius," Opal sighed. "I knew. You-look different." She studied him from head to toe.

"Yeah," he replied quietly. "I feel different too." He suddenly cocked his weapon at the prisoner's head.

"You won't kill me, it's not in you," she baited.

"Watch me," he snarled.

Opal then realized that the elf in front of her was unhinged and it wasn't a very good idea to goad him.

"You killed me Opal, what did you expect?"

"I expected you to stay dead."

"Sorry," he flicked the safety off and fired.

**Howler's Peak**

We made it in record time or as Foaly called it "short time." Trouble lost no time, "when Retrieval gets here, send them up. North section, cell 10039."

The rookie and co-pilot nodded.

Trouble pulled his gun out of his holster, "let's go Holly."

I pulled the door open and let Trouble go first, he pointed his gun light one way and I the other way. No one. Of course not, the guards were home.

We scaled the stairs and found ourselves on the ninth floor. At the end of the hall was a lone figure, "Julius," I whispered.

Trouble turned my gun light off and then his own. He jerked his head towards Julius and quietly tiptoed towards him. I followed.

He didn't notice us as he talked to Opal.

"_You killed me Opal, what did you expect?"_

"_I expected you to stay dead."_

"_Sorry,"_ his finger tightened on the trigger of his gun. _My gun_, I realized.

We were close enough, he was too focused on the pixie. Trouble surged forward as a plasma ray built up and began to shoot from the barrel. He jerked the gun upwards, the plasma ray missing Opal and making a sizable hole in the ceiling of her cell.

Julius, caught unaware, stared at Trouble like he couldn't understand what was happening. "What are you doing?"

"You can't kill her Julius."

He became angry. "Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do." He pointed the gun at Opal again.

"Julius-" Trouble tried to intervene, but instead I pushed him away and put myself infront of Opal.

"If you're going to shoot her, Julius then shoot me."

His eyes were hazel like mine, I never knew before that night. The emerald swirls were very vibrant, like mine. "Don't tempt me, Holly."

"I shot that charge, four years ago. I killed you as much as she did. So shoot me. Come on!" I shouted the last bit at him.

We stood like that, stiff, for a long time. Then miraculously, his stance relaxed, the gun lowering from the chest position he had on me. "I can't..."

"Oh thank god, we all knew you weren't a kill-" I cut Opal off in a mid-sentence with a elbow jab to her throat. She 'harked' a few times and then fell backwards.

Trouble turned away, telling Retrieval to stand back.

I however closed the distance between me and Julius. "I'm here, today, because I believed in you. _We_ believe in you."

He gazed at me and nodded mutely. "Thank you."

**One month later**

We sat on a rock cliff, taking advantage of the excuse to complete the Ritual. It had been an hour since Julius and I recharged ourselves. Four years was a long time to not be able to see the sunrise, a event he throughly enjoyed. I leaned back on my hands, which were splayed behind me.

"We should do this more often."

"You think so, huh?"

"Yeah," I playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Retirement's a bitch, sometimes."

Since the Howler's Peak incident, Julius was given a choice between a place of his own where the LEP could monitor him or unofficially my house. I fully expected him to take the place or his own; but instead he chose me, much to Cahartez's dismay.

He guessed what I was thinking. "I never did give you an explanation on my choice."

I glanced at him and saw him watching me. "No, you didn't," I agreed.

"That night, I was reminded that once I thought to myself if I ever had kids, who would I want them to most be like..." He paused. "If I ever had a daughter, I'd want her to be you."

"That's flattering- short, red-haired and impulsive, I like it."

For the first time since he returned, he smiled. "Your impulse control has saved lives Holly. I've never been prouder of one of my officers, besides Trouble. You two make a damn good team."

"Thanks, he's too patient...like you."

"No, he's just a good commander."

I looked out over the water as the waves crashed below us. It was so peaceful. Then my communicator beeped. The tranquility shattered, I, very annoyed, checked the caller ID. Julius watched me, amused.

"Who is it?"

I flicked the mouth piece open and gave him a phony smile, "who do you think?" Then to the mouth piece I greeted. "Artemis."


End file.
